umcoo Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 Hi all, In my never ending quest for Jazz basses I can tinker with, I came across £90 alder Jazz bass bodies from Brandoni. Anyone had any experience of them and does anyone know if they come pre-drilled for bridges and a neck? I've read on here they're Japanese made and similar to Fender Japan quality. Seems like a bit of a bargain. Ta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Wazoo Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 pssst.... (wide berth warning) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 [quote name='Grand Wazoo' timestamp='1319304127' post='1412558'] pssst.... (wide berth warning) [/quote] why? I built a telecaster guitar brandoni bits including an upainted alder body & my fretless precision has brandoni body & neck. Both are top quality, comparable to My Fender Japan instruments and can indeed be used as replacements for Fender parts. It was several years since I built those instruments, so have they changed suppliers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umcoo Posted October 22, 2011 Author Share Posted October 22, 2011 Thanks Jean-Luc GW - Can you elaborate? Not really seen any bad press for them (in my limited searching) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Wazoo Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 (edited) The fact is I can't really share much as I have come to know the man... and the gear he's flogging, and all I can say he is like the Italian equivalent of... Del Boy Trotter. No one knows where he gets his gear from however the biggest rumour I've heard was that he bought a huge stock or real cheap parts which happen to be all seconds or reject built from another dubious italian firm called Eko. Nuff said. Edited October 22, 2011 by Grand Wazoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 (edited) This is my fretless precision - I think it cost me about £450ish to put together all-in including Fender, hipshot & Kent Armstrong bits. The Brandoni body is practically identical to the one on my 1990 MIJ '62 reissue Fender. i don't have a pic of the tele and I can't take a pic as my mate likes it so much, he's had it on loan for about a year - that one was made from the stock £200 bundle sold as a build-your own kit. Edited October 22, 2011 by Jean-Luc Pickguard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 (edited) I don't think the japanese fender-style bodies and necks were part of the eko stock. I have no idea where he got them from, but then again I don't know where my local tesco get their cauliflowers from either. I took a trip to the warehouse at Wembley and picked out the bits I wanted. Edited October 22, 2011 by Jean-Luc Pickguard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Wazoo Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 [quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' timestamp='1319305800' post='1412588'] This is my fretless precision - I think it cost me about £450ish to put together all-in including Fender, hipshot & Kent Armstrong bits. The Brandoni body is practically identical to the one on my 1990 MIJ '62 reissue Fender. i don't have a pic of the tele and I can't take a pic as my mate likes it so much, he's had it on loan for about a year - that one was made from the stock £200 bundle sold as a build-your own kit. [/quote] That bass looks great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 I've seen a couple of Brandoni bodies and they looked very nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 [quote name='Grand Wazoo' timestamp='1319306749' post='1412606'] That bass looks great! [/quote] Cheers - it sounds as good as it looks and is fun to play. The neck has a bit of birdseye in the grain which looks cool and the ebony board is beautiful. It's the only bass I've taken to a jam night & received compliments about my bass & playing. Maybe there's something about an unlined fretless that makes people think you know what you're doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umcoo Posted October 23, 2011 Author Share Posted October 23, 2011 Thanks folks. Might be worth a punt for 90 notes. Great looking bass Jean Luc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBod Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 I've had two or three Jazz and P bodies from them (a few years ago now). Very good, accurate shaping and routing etc - seemed to be old Japanese parts. Not the prettiest or lightest you'll find but perfectly good. But I guess his supplies could be from different sources these days? Worth a phone call.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benebass Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 I've never bought anything from Brandoni, but they used to be happy to have visitors to the warehouse if you're ever in London. There's such a wide variation in their stock & the site doesn't really give you a lot of info, so it might be worth asking them to mail you some pictures before ordering... Cheers, B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I built a Brandoni Jazz from their kit about ten years ago (£130!). Perfectly serviceable. As mentioned above, the body was a little heavy. It was not pre-drilled for the bridge or neck, but a bit of pre-planning and everything went in fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 I visited the warehouse in Wembley (eventually managed to find it in what looks like a block of flats) - he's got some really interesting gear in there and the finished basses he had looked well put together - I didn't actually play anything though..he seems to know what he's talking about and he does supply several celebs.. He is one of the few people to stock the EKO BX7 bass - IMO one of the nicest looking basses ever built (see how Alembic MK were "inspired" by it??) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul h Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 I put together one of those ^^^^^^ except with just a p pickup and maple board. It was my main bass for years and I loved it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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